GM crops to boost yields by ripening on demand

Genetically modified rice is grown in Belgium. In Japan scientists have developed rice that flowers after contact with a particular fungicideMICHAEL CRABTREE FOR THE TIMES

Farmers could one day control when crops ripen after the development of modified rice that flowers on demand.

Outdoor plants still develop according to the whims of nature — the warmth of early summer sun, the soft patter of spring rains — but Japanese scientists wanted to see if they could make them develop in response to the soft patter of something else: fungicide.

“If you can have a system to control flowering time, you can grow crops where you like,” Takeshi Izawa, of the University of Tokyo, said.

Growing conditions before and after flowering strongly affect the quality of harvest, so changing flowering time is key. “You can control the quality of the harvest, prolong growth and get a better yield,” he said.